Fantasy Football Week 13 Wrap: 49ers lose Jimmy G — now what?
Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers beat the Dolphins but lost Jimmy Garoppolo for the season to a foot injury. Brock Purdy was competent in relief, but it’s a downgrade to the entire San Francisco offense and its fantasy weapons now starting "Mr. Irrelevant" at quarterback.
Purdy was the final pick of the 2022 draft and takes over a Kyle Shanahan offense that has struggled to win games without Jimmy G yet also helped Nick Mullens throw for the second-most passing yards in a quarterback's first 16 starts in NFL history. Christian McCaffrey saw 10 targets and finished as the No. 2 fantasy RB this week and will continue to be relied on heavily moving forward. CMC remains a top-five RB down the stretch, with durability his main concern.
Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle are all likely to see fantasy downgrades with the quarterback switch. It may not be as significant, as Garoppolo has no doubt been helped by San Francisco’s system as well as pass catchers with elite YAC ability, but this is still a move from a quarterback with a career 8.3 YPA mark to a seventh-round rookie who will be making his first start next week. It’s possible Purdy is a reasonable facsimile of Garoppolo, but this appears like a nightmare scenario for a 49ers team now down to its third-string quarterback on an otherwise Super Bowl-worthy roster.
Tua Tagovailoa had been 8-0 in games he didn’t leave injured this season and hit Trent Sherfield for a long score on the first play of the game (the 49ers’ weakness on defense remains the slot). But he managed just 6.9 YPA afterward in arguably his shakiest performance of the season while also being picked off on back-to-back plays after going 193 straight passes without an interception.
Tagovailoa was playing without both of his tackles and saw Jaylen Waddle in-and-out with an injury Sunday, but the QB made sure Tyreek Hill produced as usual against a tough SF defense that’s now outscored its opponents 77-7 in the second half of the last five games. The 49ers won a revenge game Sunday featuring Sherfield, Jeff Wilson Jr., Raheem Mostert and Mike McDaniel, but San Francisco’s Super Bowl hopes took a major hit with Garoppolo going down.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Atlanta Falcons
The Steelers improved to 4-1 with TJ Watt this season (1-6 without), although Pittsburgh’s defense disappointed by allowing 5.8 yards per play, recording just one sack and actively turning down a pick-six ... Drake London saw 12 targets and can be treated as a top-36 WR down the stretch after Atlanta’s bye … Najee Harris saw 94 targets last season but has been given just one in three of his past four games … Zay Jones suffered more drops than George Pickens had receiving yards Sunday.
Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson left early with a knee injury in another low-scoring Broncos loss; every game but one featuring Denver this season has finished under the total. Jackson’s injury is reportedly not season-ending, and Tyler Huntley played well (16.3 CPOE) in relief. If Huntley takes over down the stretch, it might even be a fantasy boost for Mark Andrews … Russell Wilson has finished higher than the QB14 just once all season … Courtland Sutton was held catchless on one target during Jerry Jeudy’s return, as Denver’s offense remains the worst in football and a fantasy wasteland.
Jamaal Williams has as many touchdowns (14) as the Broncos offense this season.
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Justin Fields threw two picks but got 10.4 YPA and had another long touchdown run while returning from his shoulder injury. He tied the NFL record with a rushing TD for the sixth straight game and also became the only QB with three 50+ yard rush touchdowns during his career. Fields was a top-five fantasy QB yet again this week without throwing a TD and with very little help from his pass catchers … AJ Dillon saw more touches than usual thanks to a banged-up Aaron Jones, rushing for the second-most yards (93) of his career and finishing as one of the most productive fantasy backs of the week … Christian Watson continued to impress with two more scores and has recorded eight touchdowns over his last 17 touches. The rookie also tied for the team lead in targets and is suddenly going to cost something like a third-round pick in fantasy drafts next year.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions
Jared Goff threw for 340 yards and two scores in another strong performance in Detroit. He now has a 17:3 TD:INT ratio at home this year compared to 2:4 on the road, and that includes ceding scores to both Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift on the ground Sunday. Amon-Ra St. Brown was tackled inside the one-yard line for the third straight game but made up for it later with two TD catches. All six of Sun God’s touchdowns have come at home this season … Swift was removed from the injury report, had a sick TD run and finally led Detroit’s backfield ... Travis Etienne looked healthy during his return but lost an early fumble, while Zay Jones committed multiple drops during one of the shakier performances of the week. Hopefully, Trevor Lawrence’s leg injury he suffered late in the first half isn’t serious.
Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans
The Browns won 27-14 but failed to score an offensive touchdown as special teams and defense scored three times during Deshaun Watson’s first action since 2020. Watson threw an ugly pick on first-and-goal in the end zone, nearly lost a fumble on a pass attempt (that would’ve been returned for a defensive touchdown) and finished with an ugly -13.5 completion percentage over expectation (8th percentile). Some rust was expected, but Watson also struggled badly in the (brief) preseason and gets a rough schedule down the stretch (@Cin, Bal, NO, @Was, @Pit).
Watson’s poor play also hurt Nick Chubb, who couldn’t take advantage of a highly favorable matchup … Nico Collins caught a TD and benefitted from Brandin Cooks’ absence with 10 targets but managed just 35 yards, as Kyle Allen has somehow been even worse than Davis Mills. The Texans now have an 87% chance of getting the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.
New York Jets @ Minnesota Vikings
Mike White threw for 369 yards and ran in a score but was also lucky he didn’t finish with more than his two picks. The QB took a clear step back but remains an obviously superior option to Zach Wilson. White missed an open Garrett Wilson for a possible huge gain in the fourth quarter, but the rookie wideout continued to impress while finishing with a 15-8-162-0 line. Wilson is special and is going to be an extremely early fantasy pick at 2023 draft tables. He legit could be considered a top-three dynasty WR (joining another player in this game).
Kirk Cousins missed a wide-open TJ Hockenson for what would’ve been a long gain, while Justin Jefferson couldn’t be held out of the end zone despite facing arguably the league’s toughest matchup … Zonovan Knight saw 20 touches and looks like a strong fantasy start while Michael Carter is out … Dalvin Cook had been dominating red-zone work but lost a 14-yard touchdown to Alexander Mattison … The Vikings won while being outgained by 200 yards, as Minnesota somehow improved to 10-2 despite Cousins having legitimately the worst season of his career.
Washington Commanders @ New York Giants
Taylor Heinicke arrived in style rocking a pocket watch and connected with rookie Jahan Dotson and Terry McLaurin for scoring strikes in a game that fittingly ended in a tie … Daniel Jones had more rushing yards than Saquon Barkley and finished with a 15.7 CPOE that’s in the 95th percentile. Danny Dimes throws a pretty deep ball and finished as a top-12 QB this week despite a tough matchup and having Isaiah Hodgins, Daniel Bellinger and Richie James among his top pass catchers.
Tennessee Titans @ Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles went pass-heavy facing a dominant run defense, helping AJ Brown explode for two scores during his revenge game. Brown had a 41-yard TD overturned by replay only to score on the very next play despite DPI (while achieving the most separation on a 25+ yard TD catch since 2018). Jalen Hurts was the QB1 this week, while Brown and DeVonta Smith were both top-12 WRs against a Titans defense that hadn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game since Week 3 … Treylon Burks left with a concussion suffered during a touchdown catch, as he continues to both dazzle and deal with injuries during his up-and-down rookie campaign … Chigoziem Okonkwo will be a tight end to target in fantasy drafts next year … Tennessee fell to 1-5 against teams that currently have a winning record … Derrick Henry has averaged just 2.8 YPC on 75 rushes over the last four games.
Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams
Geno Smith was terrific yet again and has thrown for multiple touchdowns in six consecutive games; he’s reached at least 8.1 YPA and 275 passing yards in four straight. Both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf were top-10 WRs this week, but Kenneth Walker suffered an injury and forced Seattle down to its fifth-string running back. Tony Jones Jr. was the last Seattle RB standing in Week 13 … John Wolford was better than Bryce Perkins, while Cam Akers emerged with a season-high 17 carries and scored twice … Tutu Atwell led the Rams in targets and receiving yards and pulled down a nice leaping grab ... The 3-9 Rams now have four straight upcoming standalone games.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Cincinnati Bengals
Both quarterbacks played well and made up for a lack of passing volume with rushing scores during the Bengals’ third straight 27-24 win over the Chiefs (KC hasn’t won in Cincinnati since 1984). Joe Burrow is now up to 8.6 YPA at home after getting 9.3 last season. He’s also taken just five sacks over the last four games after suffering 13 over the first two weeks. Burrow’s day would’ve been even better Sunday if not for Tyler Boyd committing the worst drop of the week … Ja’Marr Chase looked fully healthy during his return, while Samaje Perine has outscored all fantasy RBs other than Josh Jacobs over the last three weeks … Skyy Moore was invisible, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling suffered multiple drops, including one in the end zone. Travis Kelce also lost his first fumble of the season in the fourth quarter, as Patrick Mahomes got little help during a loss that dropped Kansas City behind Buffalo for the AFC’s top seed.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs was a top-three RB, and Davante Adams finished as fantasy’s top scorer in Week 13. Adams has averaged 13.4 targets over the last five games and now has seven more 100-yard receiving games than any other WR since 2018 (Cooper Kupp has the next most). Adams and Derek Carr are putting up video game-type numbers like their final season together at Fresno State, and there’s no reason not to expect it to continue. If possible, the Raiders somehow have both of this season’s fantasy league winners … Daniel Carlson had made 47 straight field goals at home before missing Sunday … Keenan Allen had a nice TD grab on fourth down but otherwise had 53 yards on 13 targets against a Las Vegas secondary that entered allowing an NFL-high in Passer Rating … It hasn’t mattered much thanks to his extreme role as a receiver, but Austin Ekeler hasn’t reached even 50 rushing yards in six of the past seven games.
Indianapolis Colts @ Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys outscored the Colts 33-0 in the fourth quarter of a game that was 21-19 entering the final frame. Dak Prescott threw for just 170 yards (5.7 YPA) but tossed three touchdowns, including this highlight to CeeDee Lamb ... Tony Pollard needed fewer than 15 touches to finish as fantasy’s top RB this week; he’s up to 10 touchdowns despite surpassing 20 touches in just two games this season … The Dallas defense picked off Matt Ryan three times Sunday night, when the Colts also committed their 30th fumble of a season that’s gone drastically wrong.
